By Our Reporter  The 14th general convention of the Nepali Congress is beginning on Friday by holding the ward level convention to elect the ward committee, the lowest unit of the party. An agreement was reached between party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel to hold the ward level convention on a single day by ending the relay strike of the district party president loyal to Paudel paved the way for holding the convention on the scheduled date. The Central Election Committee of the party said that the election process would begin and it would not be postponed in any pretext. "All process of the convention will begin smoothly as there has been no problem to hold the party convention," Mahadev Yadav, chief of the election committee, said. The party said that it resolved the problem of active membership of 56 districts and deployed election officers in those districts to hold the ward level convention. After holding the ward level convention the party will hold municipal, constituency, district, provincial and central level conventions. However, the voters for the central level convention should be first elected by the ward level convention. However, a clean scenario as to who will win the central level convention is scheduled for November 25-29 in Kathmandu. Earlier, the NC had scheduled the convention for September 1, but as it failed to solve the row over active membership, it rescheduled the convention for November. Party president and Prime Minister Deuba earlier extended his term of party chief by one and a half years, and as it will take three more months to conclude the convention, he will be in office for additional 21 months in total. However, it is not clear yet who will be contesting for the top post in the party as only Deuba and vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi has announced their candidacy. Likewise, youth leader Gagan Kumar Thapa had announced his candidacy for the post of general secretary. Other leaders like Ram Chandra Paudel, Shekhar Koirala, Sashank Koirala and Prakash Man Singh are also preparing to announce their candidacy. Moreover, it was reported that the rival faction led by Paudel is trying to have a single candidate for the top post so that they could defeat Deuba, who has already been challenged by his close aide Bimalendra Nidhi. Can Mandhav Nepal’s party retain strength? Although Madhav Kumar Nepal, who broke the CPN-UML and formed CPN Unified Socialist which received formal recognition from the Election Commission, was deceived by his 10 close aides at the 11th hour, he got strong and inspiring backing from the senior leader and former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal and an overwhelming number of Provincial Assemblies of Bagmati and Sudurpaschim Provinces. While 22 assembly members of the two provinces joined the CPN Unified Socialist on Tuesday, more assembly members from other provinces were to join the new party on Wednesday. With a significant number of Assembly members switching to the new party, the UML is now almost sure to lose its remaining two chief ministers of Bagmati and Province 1. UML chair KP Sharma Oli who had lured leader Nepal's 10 close aides, who instigated the latter to break the party, by assuring them of important positions in the party, had offered Astalaxmi Shakya and Bhim Acharya to post of chief ministers of Bagmati and Province-1. However, they are now losing their position as they are not in a position to garner a vote of confidence. Together with Acharya and Shakya, Bhim Rawal, Surendra Pande, Raghiji Panta, Gokarna Bista, Yogesh Bhattarai, Yuba Raj Gyawali and others had switched to Oli group at the 11th hour. As 12 members of the assembly in Bagmati elected from the UML decided to desert the party to join the newly formed CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chief Minister AstalaxmiShakya has fallen into the minority. Shakya, who is vice-chairman of the UML, was appointed CM after the incumbent CM Dormani Poudel resigned from the post to give a unity message in the party. Lawmakers joining the new party are Minister of Social Development of the province Krishna Prasad Sharma, and members Rajendra Pandey, Madhav Poudel, Rajendra Man Shrestha, Basanta Prasad Manandhar, Laxman Lamsal, Rama Ale Magar, Indra Maya Gurung, Munu Sigdel, Kusum Kumar Karki, Basundhara Humagain and Parbati Silwal. The government will lose the majority after the list of members who verified their association with the new party is submitted to the Provincial Assembly. There are 110 lawmakers in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly of which 55 are from UML, 23 from CPN (Maoist Centre), 22 from Nepali Congress, three from Bibeksheel Sajha Party, two each from Nepal Workers Peasants Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party and one independent. To stay in power, CM Shakya should acquire the support of at least 55 Assembly members. Meanwhile, 10 lawmakers of CPN (UML) have left the party to join the new party in Sudurpaschim Province. Chief Whip of the party in the Provincial Assembly Durga Kumari BK, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Purna Joshi, Minister of State for Social Development Mana Kumari Saud, Minister of State for Physical Infrastructure Chun Kumari Chaudhary have opted for the new party. Likewise, Maya Kumari Bhatta, Amar Saud, Bal Bahadur Sodari, Sushila Budhathoki and Kulbir Chaudhary have also identified themselves with the new party.